Mwandani – drink your beer and watch the match… :-)

I’m getting emails about new blogs for the BlogAfrica aggregator at a pace of roughly four a week these days. I find it basically impossible to read the whole BA feed most days, but I’m trying to spend some time with each new blog we’re adding.

My favorite new find: mwandani, a blog in Swahili and English from JN Tungaraza, a Tanzanian living in the UK (I think…) A recent post – “Mtu Kwao” – offers some great reflections on the challenges of being an African in Europe (or anywhere in the North for that matter…):

where are you from?

Tanzania

Tanzania, Tanzania, Tanzaniaa”¦ Excuse my geography, is Tanzania near Zimbabwe?

No, no, no”¦ Tanzania is in East Africa”¦ Mt Kilimanjaro you know? Near Kenya”¦

Kin-yaa! Beautiful country, lovely place innit? Safari”¦lions, zebras”¦ waw!, but, but, but”¦ Tanzania lotsa poverty there, hey?

It depends on what you mean by poverty”¦

I mean”¦ you know”¦ No war over there?

No, never has been a civil war down there, its all good”¦

Ooh, So you are not a refugee then, what do you do”¦ student?

No, I’m not a student”¦ just living like anybody else”¦

Sorry, I just wanted to know y’know, our knowledge of Africa is from the news you see”¦ from the telly y’know what I mean? But it is true that there are a lot of dictators down there yeah? Like, like, this man”¦ Muk-gabi”¦ he’s shocking innee?, bloody horrible, he chased away all the good farmers”¦he’s bloody killing people”¦ and now poor Africans are dying, no food, bloody unbelievable!

You talking about Zimbabwe land reforms? I reckon it is not a clear cut issue”¦ the media wont give you the other side of the story”¦ have you seen any other news than HIV-aids, war, poverty and Mugabe?

Well, I didn’t mean to offend you”¦ I’m just saying”¦ African leaders can be bloody horrible.

I gather you know all about where I’m from”¦ Look, I am here to have my beer and watch soccer right?”¦ Go tell your views to somebody else!”¦ Because I know”¦ and I’m not gonna sit here and listen to your bloody bollocks”¦